The present invention related to novel, improved, vehicle-mountable steps having a platform that can be moved between deployed (operative) and stowed positions.
Currently important devices embodying the principles of the present invention have a bracket that fits in the receiver (socket) of a conventional ball-and-socket type trailer hitch. The principles of the present invention will be developed primarily with reference to that application of the invention. It is to be understood that this is being done for the sake of brevity and clarity and is not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims.
Vehicles such as many pickup trucks, vans, RVs, and SUVs have cargo beds located at a considerable height above ground level. This makes it difficult for many persons to climb into the vehicle and also difficult to lift many loads into the vehicle bed. For example, many persons have dogs which cannot jump into a truck or SUV bed, which can be 25-30 inches or more off the ground; and it can prove difficult to lift larger dogs (and other animals) to the necessary height. Even some large dogs such as Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, and Labrador Retrievers have some difficulty jumping into and out of these types of vehicles. Many smaller breeds can""t get in or out at all. As animals age they become increasingly susceptible to arthritis in their hips and elbows. This aging process makes getting in and out of vehicles even more difficult.
Also, many activities involve the putting on and taking off of boots, waders or other articles of clothing. It is oftentimes difficult to put on or remove these items while sitting in a seat or on the back bumper of a vehicle. Consequently, there is a need for a device which will also provide a seat for persons engaged in the foregoing and other tasks.
Steps or platforms (and other devices) intended to solve this problem have been proposed.
A vehicle step which has the advantage that it can be rotated between operative and stowed positions so that it can be left on the vehicle while the vehicle is moving is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,738,362 issued Apr. 14, 1998. This step, however, has the drawback that the step itself, and associated structure, must be lifted and rotated to move it between operative and stowed positions. This can be cumbersome if the step is large or heavy. Furthermore, only a keeper held in place by gravity retains the step in the position to which it is rotated. In rough terrain, the keeper may bounce upwardly and allow the step to rotate out of the intended position, damaging the device and causing other problems.
Other products which have been tried but failed to meet the need addressed by the present invention include, but are not necessarily limited to, the following:
Pet Step Rampxe2x80x94This product is a plastic molded ramp that one can set on the bumper of a the vehicle to allow a dog to walk up or down into and out of the back of the vehicle. There are several problems with this product. One, there would have to be considerable room behind the vehicle to allow the product to be used. This space could be difficult to find in many urban parking situations. A second problem is where to stow the ramp when it is not being used.
Hitch Extender Stepxe2x80x94This product does not extend as far back as the Pet Step Ramp but has the added problem of protruding beyond the bumper if left in place while driving. If it is removed and replaced between uses, the issue of storage becomes significant. Another problem is that the step is higher than may be useful since it is on the same level as the receiver of the hitch to which the device is mounted.
Receiver Hitch Stairsxe2x80x94This product has more problems in addition to the ones which make the Hitch Extender Step unsatisfactory. Perhaps the most serious is that the top step interferes with the back hatch of most vehicles, requiring it to be removed between uses.
Hitch Stepxe2x80x94This product does not have the storage problems of the products above, but it is too small to effectively be used for the desired uses, such as sitting on to put on or take off boots, or to be used as a step by most dogs, or to be used to place objects on.
There has now been invented and disclosed herein a new and novel step which, like the step disclosed in the ""362 patent, is designed to be mounted to the vehicle associated receiver of a trailer hitch. And, like its previously patented counterpart, the hitch disclosed herein can be swung between functioning and stowed positions. The current step, however, has the advantage that it can be moved between these two positions without lifting the step and the components utilized to mount the step to a trailer hitch component.
The steps of the present invention have a platform to which a hollow, vertically extending column is fixed such that the platform and column rotate as a unit. A complementary sleeve surrounds the vertical column, and a beam dimensioned to fit into a trailer hitch receiver is attached at one end to the sleeve such that the sleeve is fixed against rotation relative to the sleeve. Also present in the step is a mechanism which can be unlocked by pressing down on an actuator component of the mechanism. This allows a platform component of the step to be rotated from a stowed position to its operational position and vice versa. When the platform reaches the position to which it is moved, the locking components of the latching mechanism automatically re-engage, retaining the platform in the stowed or deployed position to which it is moved.
With the step deployed to its operational configuration, the platform of the step is available for use in helping persons and animals into and out of the bed of a vehicle equipped with the step. Deployed, the platform can also be used as a seat and as a support for objects including those of a significant size and/or weight.
Ease of operation and simplicity are other important features of the present invention.
Also:
The platform of the step can be stowed out of the way until needed.
The platform is securely locked in place when stowed or deployed.
The step is sturdy enough for very large animals, persons, and other appreciable loads.
The step can be easily removed for replacement with the male (ball) component of a trailer hitch for towing.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent to the reader from the foregoing and the appended claims and as the ensuing detailed description and discussion proceeds in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.